Case Number 13360

Manda Bala

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All Rise...

If you're going to send a bullet, Judge William Lee thinks you should send it with flowers.

The Charge

When the rich steal from the poor…the poor steal the rich.

Opening Statement

What is the connection between a corrupt politician, a frog farm, and plastic
surgery? Their relationship might be flimsy but first-time director Jason Kohn
puts in an earnest effort to make the case in the documentary Manda Bala
(Send a Bullet). Featuring a fascinating collection of interview subjects
and shot in an arresting visual style, it is a thrilling and mesmerizing look at
a dark side of sunny Brazil.

Facts of the Case

Known for its beautiful beaches, lush rain forests, and vibrant culture,
Brazil is also a nation rife with corruption. In Sao Paulo, a city of 20 million
people, the divide between filthy rich and filthy poor is perfectly illustrated
by crowded hillside slums situated next to skyscrapers topped with helicopter
pads. The movie introduces us to a variety of people who would fit the
archetypical roles in a standard crime movie: criminals, cops, victims and
lawyers. Manda Bala has guns, car chases, helicopters and ransom demands,
but these stories are the real thing.

The first person we meet in this tangled web is Diniz, the hardy-looking
frog farmer. An innovator of the industry, Diniz has a warm, friendly
personality as he talks about his successful farming operation. But the
interview comes to an awkward pause when he is asked about the recent political
scandal linked to his farm. At the other end of the scandal is Jader Barbalho, a
successful politician who has held every elected office in the country except
president. He is accused of embezzling $2 billion from a government program
meant to develop the poverty-stricken northern regions of Brazil. Diniz's farm
was started with a $300,000 grant—a fraction of the $9 million that was
supposedly earmarked for it. Despite evidence of the theft, Barbalho continues
to live as a respected figure of Brazilian high society.

If the country's highest public servants can get away with theft on a grand
scale, what must life be like for its regular citizens? In parallel with the
story of government corruption, Manda Bala shows us a dark side of life
on the city streets where kidnapping has become an industry of its own. We meet
Patricia, who survived a kidnapping ordeal but had her ear cut off, and
"Mr. M," an understandably paranoid businessman who has spent $55,000
to bulletproof his sports car. Bulletproofing is just one example of the
security services thriving in Brazil. Another profitable off-shoot industry is
plastic surgery, where Dr. Avelar has built a career and a reputation with his
technique in ear reconstruction. Some of the other people we meet are the
anti-kidnapping detectives, who seem like characters straight out of an action
movie, and the prosecutors trying to nail Barbalho for his crimes.

The Evidence

The most striking quality of Jason Kohn's documentary is its visual style.
Shot mostly on film, Manda Bala looks more like a conventional movie than
the typical documentary. Credit must be given to cinematographer Heloisa Passos
for the consistent, high-quality look of the picture. From the talking head
interviews to the close-ups of frog pens, every shot possesses an inherent
dramatic beauty. It is a shame that this movie, winner of the documentary and
cinematography awards at Sundance in 2007, did not receive a wider theatrical
release. The filmmakers have infused their work with a cinematic quality and it
must have looked great on the theater screen. Luckily for us, the 2.35:1
anamorphic transfer of this DVD preserves the wonderful visual energy of the
movie.

The close observation of frog behavior and the workings of the farm reminded
me of the Errol Morris film Fast, Cheap and Out of Control (where the
camera lovingly captured the beauty of others' obsessions). There is something
beautifully soothing about watching the thousands of frogs in their holding pens
(even if they are prone to cannibalism). IMDb credits Kohn as a researcher on The Fog of War so it makes sense that the veteran
documentary filmmaker's influence is so apparent here. The deliberate framing of
interview subjects with their translators in the background is directly borrowed
from Morris.

The interview subjects have a natural ease about them that speaks to the
level of trust they had with the filmmakers. Patricia recounts a horrible event
in her life with a brave, matter-of-fact plainness. Mr. M's coolness just barely
hides the fear he lives with after being the victim of too many robberies. In
addition to the accounts of victimization, we also hear from stubborn
individuals who continue to fight the good fight. And there is plenty of room
for dark humor, too. Perhaps most amusing is Jamil, the head of an
anti-kidnapping police unit. When he shows off his gun collection it seems like
this character is just a bit too good to be true. But the entire movie has a
slightly surreal quality to it. Sao Paulo begins to resemble that dystopian
super-city of futuristic movies where crime is out of control. Indeed, the
wealthy elite live high above the streets and get around by helicopter to ensure
their safety.

Kohn displays a sure hand at storytelling with this debut effort. The pacing
is good and he knows how to provide enough information without overwhelming the
viewer. The embezzlement scheme could have been a complicated maze of details
but in a few scenes it is presented clearly enough. There are seven deleted
scenes included as supplements on this DVD and each sequence is beautifully
shot, concisely edited and interesting. Their omission from the main feature,
which runs at a brisk 85 minutes, says something about Kohn's confident
direction and the expert precision of his editors.

The widescreen photography is well presented on this DVD with colors that
are warm and nicely saturated. Deviations in picture quality are due to existing
footage (kidnappers' ransom videos) sourced on videotape. But it's actually a
relief that the picture in those scenes are of poorer quality. The lively
soundtrack, filled with moody Brazilian pop music of the 1960s and 70s, is a
pleasure to hear. Alternating between the music and the interviews, the mostly
uncomplicated sound mix makes adequate use of the surround sound
presentation.

The audio commentary with Kohn and producers Joey Frank and Jared Goldman is
as fast and fascinating as the main feature. They talk continuously about the
production, which took five years to complete. There are plenty of interesting
anecdotes about how they acquired funding, found their interviewees and managed
the logistics of shooting in unfriendly locations. It is also interesting to
hear the director explain the specific look he wanted. The trio acknowledges the
many crew members whose extra efforts were invaluable to the production. Kohn's
father is specially singled out for his contributions: he put the crew in touch
with some of the interview subjects and helped them find their cinematographer.
What comes across in the commentary is that this was a truly collaborative
effort by people who felt strongly about seeing it done right.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

A small quibble I have with this disc is the partial English subtitling that
initially left me believing the subtitles were not working at all. I eventually
figured out that the selective subtitling was only done for non-English
dialogue. So the subtitles will often accompany a line in Spanish or Portuguese.
But just as often, if an interviewee has an interpreter, there are no subtitles
and we must wait to hear the translation. A few times the interpreter or another
English speaker talks too softly or quickly and those lines are lost without
consistent subtitles.

Closing Statement

Not quite a journalistic documentary, Manda Bala has more of an
impressionistic quality about it. If there isn't a hard link between the frog
farm and Brazil's explosion of kidnappings, it does feel like they are of the
same social environment. Widespread political corruption and the breakdown of
social safety seem to go hand in hand. It won't do much for Brazilian tourism
but it is hard to look away from this movie. With its superb visuals, brisk
pacing and exciting soundtrack, this is an engrossing documentary. It is a
strong debut effort from tenacious director Jason Kohn who brings a slightly
abstract, but thoroughly entertaining, sensibility to documentaries.

The Verdict

The filmmakers, their friends and their dads are cleared of all charges and
free to go.